Miscellaneous Food: Florence and London

We were fortunate to recently take a much-deserved break from work for a trip to Tuscany and along the way, we stopped by in London to visit with some friends. The winding country roads took us to some beautiful, rustic villages, which I remembered well from previous trips there in 2007 and 2009 and while it was good to visit old loves like Solociccia in Panzano, written about here and La Giostra in Florence here, we also found some even more amazing restaurants, primarily in Florence. (In the other areas, we ate mostly in little family-run agriturismo farmhouses or cooked fresh produce at home, purchased from farmers markets)

I would highly recommend both these places, it was like soaking up the sunshine and rawness of the countryside. The first is Trattoria 4 Leoni, set in a beautiful side-street courtyard, perfect for the midday shopping stop and for watching beautiful people. Try the hand-made pastas, especially the pear argula ricotta ravioli , the duck ragu papardelle, the frito misto or the calamari. Their dishes were really delightful, delicate yet with robust flavours. The location is fairly central, just off the commercial stretch so I would recommend the place more for lunch, that way you can fully appreciate charming the semi-outdoor location and charming tuscan crockery.


The other place is definitely a dinner place, also fairly central but out of the small, tall nexus which borders the Piazza della Signoria and a slight trek outward to where the Opera is. This place is called La Sostanza and Frommers calls it "Il Troia" or the through, because people have been lining up at the long communal tables since 1869 to enjoy huge amounts of some of the best traditional food in the city. Despite that omnimous name, I have to say that this was the most mind-blowingly delicious and inspirational meal I had had in a long while.


It is a typical hole-in-the-wall, tiled, cramped, busy and flooded with noise and kitchen aromas, one of those eating experiences that you know will be good because so many people can't be wrong. We had heard of it from a friend whose wife is a Hermes reseller and who is frequently in Europe, he did not recommend it to us, rather he ordered us to go here and so we dutifully made a booking (absolutely necessary as there is not a spare seat in the house, on any night). Upon sitting down, we were entertained by the local family who runs the place, half of whom communicate in no English and a number of hilarious, typically Italian gestures. The menu is short and simple, starters are things like chicken soup with dumplings, or a peasant form of brodo, or ribollita, common to the Tuscan countryside.


There are two mains that are particularly popular, the Bistecca Alla Florentina, which is sliced thickly and slapped over a charcoal grill at the back of the restaurant, and the Petti di Pollo al Burro, the thick chicken breasts fried in butter. The bistecca was excellent, I've had many of them in my life and this ranks as perhaps one of the top two.


When we arrived, I spied a huge block of fresh butter sitting on the marble kitchen counter and out of the corner of my eye, I saw the chef pick up a small frying pan and shovel a large icicle-shape pick of butter into it. This was thrown over the charcoal grill and he started to flour and batter some chicken pieces. These were then fried into a sweet, caramel brown, entirely immersed in the crispy hot butter.


It might look like nothing on earth but looks are deceiving. The flavour was out-of-this-world good, it was like a glorius meld of chicken and cotten candy, like eating the first fried chicken you'd ever tasted, probably like the first chicken Adam and Eve ever tasted. The fried chicken in butter at Sostanza should really be amongst the 10 foods to try before you die. I've been jogging every week since I've been back and I still feel guilty about this dish.


Just to cap it off, we had two slices, because it was that wicked good, of their meringue cake, topped with tiny, sweet wild strawberries, known in France as "fraises des bois".


On the way back through London, we were fortunate to stay with D. and S. who are also big foodies. Of course, we clattered through all my old memories, the roast duck at Goldmine and Four Seasons in Bayswater, the cupcakes at Hummingbird Bakery, sandwich stores near LSE and the Petersham Nursery but the most rewarding part was being introduced to new places, like Ottolenghi in Notting Hill, where we went for Saturday brunch. Turns out I'm really behind the curve, when I looked it up online, the chef is dead famous and has been writing recipe columns for The Times, there are too many blogs with odes to the place and even Colin said he'd already been there when he was studying in the UK, some three years ago!


Shaded by a white awning, this small unassuming cafe afforded a beautiful variety of savoury and sweet treats. It's rare that a place can successfully do both but here, you really could choose between thick quiches, tomato ricotta tarts and quinoa salads, as well as lemon marscpone tarts, muffins, chocolate slices and everything was so well-done. The flavours were rich and sweet, full-bodied and colourful. The tastes slanted a little toward the Medittaranean, as most of the new restaurants are but were generally what I've come to refer to borrowing from world cuisine. I'm so inspired that I actually want their cookbook (a Huge compliment, I don't hold with cookbooks generally) and I've printed a few of their recipes to try soon.


What a wonderful, recharging break! For those looking for some decent but inexpensive places to stay, check out The Hempel and The Arch in London and Residenza Il Maggio and Giglio Bianco B&B in Florence. In London, the hotels were delightfully modern and luxurious, in Italian cities of course, the rooms will be more rustic but they were well-cleaned and safe. We paid about 130£ and 80 Euro for some very central, lovely stays and service.

Trattoria 4 Leoni
Via de' Vellutini, 1-red
50125 Florence, Italy
055 218562

Trattoria Sostanza
Via Porcellana, 25/r, Florence, Italy
055 212691

Ottolenghi
63 Ledbury Road
London W11 2AD
020 7727 1121
ledbury@ottolenghi.co.uk

Residenza Il Maggio
Corso Italia 13
Florence
055 2658185

Giglio Bianco B&B
Via Romana, 28
50125 Firenze, Italy
Tel. +39 055225873

Miscellaneous Food: London's Hot Chocolate

I have a Thing for hot chocolate. Food-lovers in particular will know what I mean: every one of us has something we are extremely particular and even pedantic about, a certain hang-up or obsession (or perhaps more than one) that we cannot be blase or nonchalant about, but must take absolutely seriously. Perhaps you like your meat done just so, or your pizza base must be crisp and crunchy but never spongy, or your soup must always be scaldingly hot.

Well, one of my Things is hot chocolate. I have drunk a lot of hot chocolate in my life, and I cannot abide the watery, bodyless, insipid swill that involves dissolving some "instant" hot chocolate powder in hot water to produce a very disappointing brown liquid that is unappealing and characterless. It seems like a crime to debase something as glorious as chocolate in that way.

For me, true hot chocolate is thick, rich, brimming with an earthy, deep, dark and enticing aroma of ground cocoa. Made with milk or water I make no bones with, but it actually has to taste like chocolate (not as obvious as it sounds - try ordering any hot chocolate in Singapore).

In Europe, this form of hot chocolate is very common in France, Spain or Italy, which makes it all the more baffling that it is almost completely absent from the UK. Thankfully, however, I found a TimeOut guide here which points the way to some of the places in London which stick to the true hot chocolate philosophy.

So I decided, after my exams, to take a hot chocolate tour of London, ambitiously making a list of a number of places that I knew or heard made the real stuff. Unfortunately, I didn't have the time or opportunity to sample hot chocolate from all these places, and there are a few that are not on the TimeOut list that I have tried but didn't manage to get a photograph of. Still, what follows is a list I hope to build on when I next return to London, which I hope will be of interest to anyone who takes hot chocolate fairly seriously.

Apostrophe

Apostrophe is one of these newish chains that have sprouted up, specialising in boulangerie and patisserie (baked goods and desserts).



They've got outlets all over London, so it shouldn't be hard to find one at all, especially not when the stores are eye-catchingly black and pink.



Unfortunately, the hot chocolate was not as pleasing as the decor. It certainly was very thick; the skin from the scalded milk rapidly forming across the surface of the chocolate, and you'd probably need a spoon to finish it all. Nor was it very expensive: 2.50 GBP for a decently-sized cup of hot chocolate.

The real problem was the taste of the hot chocolate. It lacked any real blossoming of cocoa flavours in the mouth, and the taste of the starchy thickener they used was very obvious. If you're just looking for something to warm you up during winter, this is fine, but if you're looking for a true chocolate fix, Apostrophe's hot chocolate is sadly not quite it.

Apostrophe
Too many to list; see here for locations.

Paul

I've been to Paul's so many times that I've never taken a photo of the hot chocolate they sell, which I suppose in its own way is a testament to how good it is.

Paul, like Apostrophe, is a boulangerie and patisserie, but I rarely come here for anything other than the hot chocolate, and I've heard complaints that their other products are rather expensive.

Unlike Apostrophe, however, Paul's hot chocolate is the real deal. From the first sip, the chocolate flavours dance across your palate and warms you up, not just from the heat of the drink alone, but from the warmth and comfort of the cocoa. This was my favourite morning pick-me-up when I was interning in London last summer.

The best thing about Paul is that for 5 GBP, you can take away a 1L tetrapack carton of hot chocolate to enjoy at home, and all you have to do is heat it up in a saucepan or microwave yourself a glass. A good DVD and a glass of hot chocolate beats a night out in a London nightclub any day.

Paul
Too many outlets to list; see here for locations.

Melt

Melt is a boutique chocolatier in the heart of chic Notting Hill, not far from the equally trendy Ottolenghi.



It's not quite operational in this picture, but under the lime-green umbrella Melt sells its own ice cream, which I imagine must be cold comfort for the denizens of London in the current heatwave.



The aroma of cocoa powder and tempered dark chocolate tempts you into the shop, and you'll find not just the usual pyramids of pralines and truffles, but also a workspace where all the finnicky tempering work takes place, and where chocolate workshops are run on weekends.



The actual hot chocolate, however, is somewhat unglamorous and ungenerous. For 2 GBP you get a small disposable cup's worth of liquid dark chocolate. But that little cup definitely delivers an impressive hit of intense richness.

Melt
59 Ledbury Rd, Notting Hill, London W11 2AA
Tel: 020 7727 5030

Caffe Nero

Caffe Nero induces mixed feelings in people: I know some who are there almost religiously, while others claim their coffee is actually repulsive.

While I can't vouch for their coffee (though I did have some rather poor latte), they do a fairly credible hot chocolate, which is better than none (or hot cocoa water), but is somewhat too sweet for my tastes.

Caffe Nero
Outlets all over the UK; look for one near you.

Carluccio's

Continuing the Italian theme, Antonio Carluccio's chain of cafes, although they offer pretty little by way of food, do sell a small espresso glass of thick, unctuous cioccolata fiorentina.

Like Apostrophe's, I find this to be somewhat lacklustre (figuratively, not literally, as the chocolate does have a nice sheen to it), missing the depth and intensity and power that a true cup of hot chocolate should have.

Carluccio's
Outlets all over the UK; look for one near you.

Hotel Chocolat

This was, due to some rather unfortunate circumstances detailed below, the last cup of hot chocolate I managed to sample, and thankfully it delivered in spades.



I believe only the flagship store in High Street Kensington sells hot chocolate, as I don't recall the Knightsbridge branch having any when I dropped in for a look. But that is not, however, the only thing Hotel Chocolat sells.



Hotel Chocolat sells almost every chocolate product imaginable: from chocolate liqueurs to cocoa nibs, from grand cru chocolates to gift scrolls.

But what I've come for is the hot chocolate, and Hotel Chocolat offers three: one made with 50% chocolate, one made with 72% chocolate, and one made with 100% (!) chocolate.

I'm very curious as to what the 100% chocolate tastes like, as I imagine it must be terribly bitter, which is why I went with the 72% chocolate.



Unlike all the other hot chocolates pictured here, you can see that the one offered by Hotel Chocolat is much thinner and lighter in colour. At the same time, however, look at how magnificently it catches the light - a smooth, glossy, gleaming bowl of hot chocolate. That's right: for 3 GBP you get an absolutely enormous bowl of hot chocolate, to be slurped up just as the ancient Mayans did. I would strongly advise coming here on an empty stomach.

Hotel Chocolat's hot chocolate trades texture for taste: since they use water instead of milk (resulting in a thinner hot chocolate with no "skin"), the bitter sweetness of the chocolate really shines through, unadulterated by any additional sweetness from the milk. This is something you can sit down and enjoy the entire afternoon, so grab a friend to join you.

Hotel Chocolat
163 Kensington High Street, London W8 6SU
Tel: 0207 938 2144


Things started to go wrong from here, as places like L'Artisan de Chocolat inexplicably ceased serving hot chocolate, while Paul A Young apparently don't do hot chocolate over summer.

So what follows is a list of places I'll be going back to when I'm back in London to try out the hot chocolate they offer, and if you've been to any of them, I'd love to hear about it!

L'Artisan de Chocolat
89 Lower Sloane Street, London SW1 W8DA
81 Westbourne Grove, London W2 4UL
400 Oxford Street, London W1

Cake Therapy
59 Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1D 6CF
Tel: 07939 574315

Camino
3 Varnishers Yard, Regents Quarter, London N1 9AF
Tel: 020 7841 7331

Chocolate Society
36 Elizabeth St, London SW1W 9NZ
Tel: 0207 259 9222

Konditor and Cook
22 Cornwall Road, London SE1 8TW
Tel: 020 7261 0456
10 Stoney Street, London SE1 9AD
Tel: 020 7407 5100

Laduree
71-72 Burlington Arcade, Londond W1J 0QX

Paul A Young
33 Camden Passage, off Upper Street, Islington, London N1 8EA
Tel: 020 7424 5750
20 Royal Exchange, Threadneedle Street, London EC3V 3LP
Tel: 020 7929 7007

Miscellaneous Food: La Bouchée

One of the good things of staying in the South Kensington area is that there are many restaurants to choose from, all within easy walking distance. La Bouchée is a typical French bistro that serves up traditionally French fare like coq au vin and gigot d’agneau. The chefs and managers are all French, so you’re getting the real deal.




Two drawbacks stand out in particular though. First, the place is tiny, seating a maximum of twenty patrons, so a reservation is imperative, unless you dine early or alone. Second, for a bistro, La Bouchée charges restaurant prices, including the ubiquitous 12.5% ‘discretionary’ gratuity. They offer a prix fixe two-course menu for 11.50 pounds, which is probably the best value you’ll get, but only until 6.30pm, and they can be quite anal about this; refusing to offer it to me even though I was there at 6.27pm.




I chose the starter of the day, ris d’agneau, brioche, sauce champignons, lamb sweetbreads in a rich mushroom sauce, served with two pieces of brioche. Luscious and decadent, the sauce was concentrated and bursting with an earthy flavour, but also enriched with a very meaty aroma – possibly some marrow. The sweetbreads themselves were soft, slightly chewy, and went well with the sweet, airy brioche.




Coq au vin was the cheapest thing on the menu, but still pretty pricey at 13.50 pounds, and for that price, I was disappointed with what I received. While it arrived in a Staub casserole, keeping the dish piping hot and allowing the flavours to develop, the portion of chicken was quite minute, and the lack of any accompaniments like potatoes or noodles was striking. The sauce was full-bodied and fortified with the traditional red wine, but beyond that, I didn’t think much of the dish. It seemed like something you could easily find back in Singapore or even replicate, with some care, in your own kitchen, for a fraction of the price.


La Bouchée (French)
56 Old Brompton Road, South Kensington, SW7
Tel: 020 7589 1929

Location: 4.5/5
Service: 3.5/5
Ambience: 3/5
Food: 3/5
Overall: Go for the prix fixe menu

Technorati Tags: Reviews, Restaurants, French, London, La Bouchee

Miscellaneous Food: The Kensington Crêperie

It’s been quite a while since I’ve had a really good crêpe. Somehow they always seem too thick and heavy, and if you’re thinking of having them for tea, chances are you’ll need to have a very light lunch and dinner, which is something I’m not very good at doing.




But someone told me someone told him that this little crêperie near the South Kengsington tube station serves the best crêpes in London. Well, with an accolade like that, there was no way I was not giving it a try, lunch and dinner be damned.

Since the crêperie doesn’t open till 11am, I decided to have brunch, and was pleased to see that they offered a choice of white, milk or dark chocolate on all their chocolate crêpes.




I decided to go for their banana and dark chocolate crêpe, even though I was sorely tempted by the option to include some rum. The crêpe arrived decently sized, so you probably will need to have a light lunch and dinner, and I could see at once that it was going to be, to my pleasure, very chocolatey.

The staff’s crêpe-making skills are considerable – the crêpe was easily one of the best I’ve had. From the point of the wedge to about midway, the crêpe was moist and dense with chocolate, and the addition of sweet, unctuously luscious banana slices merely added to the mouthful of delight. The generous frosting of icing sugar and squiggles of chocolate sauce didn’t hurt, either. The hallmark of a good crêpe is the duality of its texture and uniformity of its thinness, and true to form the crêpe was crispy towards the edges but remained wafery-delicate.

They also do savoury crêpes, but I’ve never really been a fan of those, so I won’t be trying them anytime soon.

The Kensington Crêperie (Casual)
2 Exhibition Road, South Kensington, SW7
Tel: 020 7589 8947

Location: 4/5
Ambience: 3/5
Service: N/A
Food: 4.5/5
Overall: Excellent place for breakfast or tea

Technorati Tags: Reviews, Casual, London, Kensington Creperie

Miscellaneous Food: Gourmet Burger Kitchen

Charles Campion notes in his review that the words “gourmet” and “burger” are not well-suited. Still, this chain has staked its claim, and its claim is that it serves one of the best and most generous burgers in London, at comparably modest prices.




The concept itself is fairly straightforward – you either eat in or takeaway. If you eat in, you go up to the counter, order, pay, and your burger is delivered to your table; rather like any Burger King or McDonalds joint.




I’m a sucker for milkshakes, and I just have to order one when I see it on the menu. Unfortunately, the one I had at GBK is without a doubt one of the worst excuses for a milkshake I’ve ever had. There was no detectable chocolate in it, and was very milky. It should have been marketed as a chocolate milk milkshake, and even then that would have been generous.




Thankfully, the burger came to the rescue. I had the “classic”, which involves an 8 oz. patty of Angus beef, lettuce, tomato, onions and tomato relish. The whole burger is quite large, standing about 6 inches tall, although about half of that is due to the bun. Still, I must admit it was quite good – juicy, medium, and tasty, how all burgers should be.

Gourmet Burger Kitchen (Casual)
107 Old Brompton Road, South Kensington, London SW7
Tel: 020 7581 8942
Website

Location: 4/5
Ambience: 3/5
Service: 2.5/5
Food: 3/5
Overall: Avoid the milkshake at all costs, but the burgers are good

Technorati Tags: Reviews, Casual, London, Gourmet Burger Kitchen

Miscellaneous Food: Boxwood Café

I was not a fan of Gordon Ramsay’s cooking. Granted, I had never actually tried any of his cooking, but I had looked through one of his recipe books, and hadn’t liked his recipes.

Still, with an empire of restaurants (eight, at present) across London, he must be doing something right. On a friend’s recommendation, I decided to try one of the newer (and more affordable) offerings, Boxwood Café at Knightsbridge.

A couple of things should be noted about Boxwood Café. First, even though it’s right next to the road, it’s very easy to miss. It has a very unassuming exterior that I walked right past without even realising.




Second, its very name is a misnomer. This is no more a café than I am a cardiologist. The moment you walk in, a reception greets you and enquires if you have a reservation, and there is a coatroom to handle your jackets and other bulky belongings (in my case, a haversack). Service is attentive, polished, and quite French – almost all the waitstaff were French, though that’s not too surprising in the Knightsbridge area.

Some reviews have bemoaned the dark, moody feel of the décor, but personally I quite liked it – very in keeping with the understated touch of class permeating the whole restaurant; reinforced by the fact that almost every patron of the “café” was in suit and tie, or otherwise formerly attired. I felt distinctly under-dressed in my jeans, but it was to the credit of the staff that they barely raised an eyebrow, and service was equally personable in my direction.




Bread is served with the traditional lightly salted butter and a less traditional taramosalata – a Greek dip made with olive oil, cream and cod roe. I’ve never had it before, and it was a great first experience; the taramosalata was light, creamy and the taste of the briny roe was ample without being overwhelming – a deft touch and a delightful spread that totally enlivened the rolls it was served with.




I had a white onion soup with roasted shallots and rosemary croutons, a frothy affair that arrived in a cast iron pot and was poured into my soup bowl in front of me. Again, fancy, and definitely not what you’d find in a café. The soup was perfectly executed; an adroit balance between texture, taste and density. Mild, light and just a little sweet, the only drawback was that the soup was rather too lukewarm.




Uncharacteristically, I opted for a light meal, choosing the ravioli of Italian squash, served with caramelised hazelnuts and shaved parmesan, goat's curd and wilted herbs. The combination looked unusual and I was prepared, somewhat perversely, to be disappointed. Instead, I thoroughly enjoyed this vegetarian option – the ravioli was extremely delicate, and the squash purée was sweet and rewardingly hot, offset by the creamy and rich curd. The parmesan shavings were unbelievably thin, while the herbs had surrendered their strength (the sage was notably mild) and served almost as vegetables.

Although my meal was short, it changed my opinion of Gordon Ramsay and his style of food. Despite his many outlets, he does not appear to have over-extended himself; the quality of food is very high, and service standards are impeccable. I’ll definitely be dining at his restaurants again, as soon as I can start affording them.

Boxwood Café (Modern British)
The Berkeley, Knightsbridge, SW1
Tel: 020 7235 1010
Email
Website

Location: 3/5
Ambience: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Food: 5/5
Overall: Well-worth the rather hefty price tag

Technorati Tags: Reviews, Restaurants, London, Boxwood Cafe

Miscellaneous Food: Borough Market

I have a whole bunch of restaurant reviews written by my sister, but they're sitting in draft form because I don't have the pictures that go with them just yet.

In the meantime I'll cover some of my recent gastronomic exploits. I suppose one of the benefits of studying overseas is the opportunity to be exposed to a wide array of culinary experiences, limited only by your interest and budget.

Good food is not, as is sometimes thought, about expensive restaurants and celebrity chefs. Good food begins with good ingredients. Anyone who has ever had bad sushi can attest to that. Once you start with fresh, unadulterated ingredients, very little work and effort is needed to produce good food. To produce exceptional food something extra is needed, but that's not the point.

It can be a little difficult in Singapore to find really good ingredients, given our heavy dependence on imported foreign products, which, by the time they reach the end-user, are either bruised or have lost some of their freshness after having travelled thousands of miles and being exposed to all sorts of transportation stresses.

Undoubtedly, Borough Market is an institution devoted to the freshness of ingredients, and indeed, dedicated to food itself. A visit there is always rewarding, and if you go on an empty stomach, quite filling.




Stalls there cater to every possible craving of human appetites. There is a stall selling artisanal cider and beers, and a specialist sausage shop, selling things like wild boar sausages.




Chocolate gets a good representation, with one stall in particular laying out massive blocks of chocolate and mounds of cocoa-dusted chocolate truffles. The French chain L'Artisan du Chocolat also has a presence at Borough, though its chocolates sell for exorbitant rates.




One mistake I made was not going to Borough Market on an empty stomach. There is a panoply of edible food to be found - from burger stalls selling kangaroo, ostrich and wild boar burgers, to Welsh bread and Scottish cheeses, it is impossible to go hungry at this market. Even if you don't have any money on you at all, the free samples that are given out allows you to have a satisfying meal without spending anything.




Ingredients are not just limited to the UK - exquisite fleur de sel from France and mozzarella from Italy are on display and severely tempted me, as I had a dinner appointment and didn't want to ruin my appetite.




I recently read a fascinating book on sustainable food production and consumption, which placed emphasis on organic foods, which is also something that enjoys considerable popularity at Borough. In addition, those craving proper tropical fruits (not the sorry excuse of a fruit that Britain calls a banana) will find them in abundance here, though they may be prohibitively expensive.

If you do drop by Borough Market, be sure to try (among other things) the ostrich and wild boar burgers, as well as the many ethnic foods on offer, from Indian to Greek.

Technorati Tags: Miscellaneous Food, UK, Borough Market

Miscellaneous Food: London

I'm too lazy to do a day by day review of the restaurants I went to in London, since there weren't very many of them, so I'm just going to put them all in one post.




Dinner one night was at Signor Zilli, an Italian restaurant that was reputedly very good for their seafood. They also run a bar next door where you can enjoy a postprandial tipple. The restaurant itself occupies two floors; the somewhat more active and noisy ground floor, and the quieter basement, which was where we sat.




We started with some seared scallops, which were well-executed, if uninventive. The scallops were plump and firm and fresh though, so the restaurant's reputation may have been well-deserved.




I decided to be boring and ordered a plate of tagliatelle alle bolognese, which I was pleased to find was both al dente and extremely tasty. While a pasta with bolognese sauce is not the hardest thing in the world to cook, it did show that Zilli's could handle more than just seafood.




I could see why it was known for its seafood though, when Bjorn ordered the lobster pasta. A huge dish of spaghetti, drenched in a rich seafood sauce and served with the meat and shell of half a lobster, this was incredibly fragrant and mouth-wateringly sumptious. At GBP 21 though, it was clearly a meal for special occasions.

Signor Zilli
41 Dean Street
Soho, London W1D 4PY
Tel: 0871 2238054

There seem to be an increasing number of Singaporean restaurants in London, which isn't all too surprising, considering that there is quite a sizeable Singapore and Malaysian expatriate community living in London, so it was only a matter of time before someone decided to cater to their dining needs.




Bjorn and I, after a jaunt round Portabello Market in the morning, decided to have lunch at Nyonya, a Peranakan restaurant nearby. While the seats were not particularly comfortable, being nothing more than glorified stools, I liked the rest of the restaurant's design; lots of glossy white surfaces and plenty of light. Rather modern for a "traditional" Nyonya restaurant.




I had a Nasi Lemak, which was also not extremely traditional, since it was served with curried chicken and a boiled egg. Still, it was quite delicious and very comforting to have some local food after having to subsist on poor hall food for so long.




What was really good though, was the char kway teow. The sauce was thick and rich and it was really incredible, better than lots of char kway teows I've had in Singapore. It even had an authentic wok hei that gave it depth of fragrance and just a hint of smokiness. Seriously good stuff. Though at GBP 7, I suppose it had better be good to be worth it.




Of course, what trip to London is complete without an obligatory dinner at the Four Seasons Restaurant at Bayswater? While service is invariably indifferent, and you always have to wait for a table (reservations are a must), there's one and only one reason people come here to eat, and it explains why the restaurant is always fully-booked.




Just as Hong Kong has Yung Kee's famous roast goose, London has Four Seasons' equally famous roast duck. The roast duck here is really good. I've yet to come across another restaurant that does a better roast duck. I don't know what their secret recipe is, but the duck is juicy and succulent, sweet and tender, yet not disgustingly fat and oozing with oil, as some other roast ducks tend to be. The consistency of Four Seasons' roast duck is just as impressive; you will never find a dry or chewy morsel of duck here. All the other dishes, unfortunately, are not as laudable, but help to fill you up.

Four Seasons Restaurant
84 Queensway
London
W2 3RL
Tel: 020 7229 4320

Technorati Tags: Miscellaneous Food, London, Signor Zilli, Nyonya, Four Seasons

Miscellaneous Food: The Fat Duck

I know it's been ages since I've updated - but I've kept finding that I have work that needs to be done. I guess it's just a matter of postponing the writing of my essays...




After all I'd heard about the Fat Duck, and with all the anticipation of having a dinner there (it has a three month waiting list), when we finally arrived, I was a bit underwhelmed by its nondescript location. Situated in Bray, a tiny little village outside of London, it really is in the middle of nowhere. Even when you get to the restaurant, the only clue to its presence is Heston Blumenthal's signature logo outside; three utensils cleverly doubling as parts of a duck's anatomy.




The interior, too, is very unassuming, for a restaurant that has the reputation of being the second best in the world. The lighting is perfect, and the tables impeccably laid. Strangely there are too many waiters - though this may be because a name like Blumenthal's attracts so much free labour.




The Fat Duck is one of the bastions of molecular gastronomy, and the amuse-bouche certainly reinforced that. A pomery mustard ice-cream with a red cabbage gazpacho, this was an unsual combination, to say the least. However, it was not unenjoyable - the mustard ice-cream was subtly piquant; refreshing in its mild pepperiness, its slight headiness and icy creaminess. The red cabbage gazpacho was strangely sourish, which went well with the ice-cream, but was a little too tart to enjoy on its own.




Our second palate-teaser was a fresh oyster served with passionfruit jelly. I felt this was slightly too exotic a pairing, with the flavour of the passionfruit overwhelming the delicate taste and texture of the oyster.




I started with a cauliflower risotto, served with a carpaccio of cauliflower and chocolate jelly, dusted with cocoa powder. I was really surprised with this dish, closely related as it is to Jamie Oliver's chocolate risotto. The risotto was perfectly creamy, with the blandness of cauliflower, offset by the sweetness of the chocolate and cocoa powder. The cauliflower carpaccio (really just very crispy roasted shavings of cauliflower), while repetitive, added a contrasting and welcome texture.







My main course took the form of a saddle of venison, served with celeriac puree, marron glacé and sauce poivrade. It also came with a civet of venison with pearl barley and red wine. The venison was quite excellent, a perfectly-executed combination of flavours and a riot of colours to boot. The pearl barley and civet were a deft touch; the barley sweetening and attenuating the sharpness of the red wine, as well as providing additional liquid for the sauce in the main dish.




At this point we were presented with further examples of why the Fat Duck deserved its reputation for culinary alchemy - a carrot-orange lollipop and some beet jelly sweets. The sweets tasted almost like those blackcurrant pastilles I enjoyed very much in my youth, and the carrot lollipop is surely a good way to get children to eat their vegetables.




My meal ended with a chocolate fondant with cardamom, dried apricot yoghurt and harissa ice-cream. While the chocolate fondant was intense and exquisite, I did think the use of harissa was a bit too extreme. The heat spread quickly through my mouth like wildfire, and made it difficult to enjoy the rest of the dessert. Too strong for me, I had to leave the harissa to the side.

While I appreciated the obvious thought and effort that had gone into the creation of every dish, I did think that molecular gastronomy was more gimmicky than more conventional cooking, but who is to say where cooking ends and science begins? I applaud Heston Blumenthal for pushing the limits of culinary possibility, and the Fat Duck is a restaurant to be enjoyed, rather like a work of art, out of deference to its creator.

The Fat Duck (Molecular Gastronomy)
High Street
Bray, Berkshire
SL6 2AQ
United Kingdom

Tel: 01628 58033
Website

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